The Last Victim
by ShilohWhittier
Summary: A young woman walks into the BAU, convinced she's next on a serial killer's victim list. She begs for help, and as the case unravels, her past is torn open, and in her vulnerable state, she finds a deep connection with Dr. Spencer Reid. But when you're a target of a murderer, distractions are unwelcome. Will the team, and Spencer, be able to keep her safe? S.Reid/OFC.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Salutations, readers! I've had this story cooking in my head and it's featuring another O/C Love Interest, since anyone Reid is paired with is there for one episode OR gets murdered. Hey-oh! If you like it, please review and subscribe! Please Enjoy :)**

* * *

Zoe Martin looked haggard as she rushed into the reception area of the BAU. She held a cardboard box filled with dusty and aging files to her chest, and her glasses slipped down her nose. She practically ran at the secretary and slammed her box of documents onto the countertop.

"I need to speak with someone from the BAU." she said, glancing behind her. She was sure that security had caught wind of her by now.

Rosalin arched an eyebrow at the girl.

"Do you have an appointment? Or at least a security badge?" the secretary said. Zoe groaned, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

"No, look, please, I really need to talk to someone, it's about a case my mother was involved with 20 years ago, they'll be able to help, no, please don't call security." she begged as Rosalin slowly moved her hand toward the phone.

As Zoe continued to plead with the secretary, Penelope Garcia walked into the office, holding a huge cappuccino and looking at her phone. Security hurried in behind her, heading for Zoe at the desk.

"No! Please, I promise, it's serious! I'm not crazy, I went to the police." Zoe spun around at the security guards, tears in her eyes. "The police won't help me, I need to talk to someone from the BAU. Please."

Garcia paused, and looked up. The two security guards were taking Zoe by the arms and starting to lead her away, but she was resisting.

"Hold on," Garcia said, her curiosity piqued. She looked up at the security guards, who seemed unfazed by the orders coming from the woman with pink and blonde hair. She sighed, flashing them her clearance badge. "Let her go, I want to hear what she wants." she said.

"Thank you!" Zoe said, beaming at Garcia with relief. "My name is Zoe Martin." She stuck out her hand, but she was shaking. Garcia noticed, but didn't say anything.

"I'm Penelope Garcia, I'm a technical analyst, but I work with one of the BAU teams." she paused, looking at the girl up and down. She wore blue jeans and a button up flannel. Her long dark hair was pulled back, but most of it was falling out of her ponytail holder. She looked like she hadn't slept, but was still very beautiful, in a serene sort of way. Penelope smiled.

"You look like you need a cup of tea. Come with me. Boys, your valiant efforts here won't go unnoticed." she said to the security guards with a wink, and motioned for Zoe to follow her.

Once they were seated at a small table in the breakroom, a steaming cup of chamomile in front of Zoe, Garcia slowly began to understand why the girl looked so tired and scared.

"20 years ago, my mother became the only survivor of the Red Wing Killer in Western Virginia. He raped, tortured, and then killed 7 girls before he captured my mother. All the other victims he stalked, but the police think my mother sort of accidentally stumbled on his dump site as he was burying the 7th body. My mother doesn't remember anything, really, not what he looked like or even what he did to her, but she still has scars and there was evidence of sexual abuse. Only, she escaped. She saw an opportunity and ran, and nobody ever caught him, but there were no more murders." she stopped for a second, taking a drink of tea. "My mother died 5 months ago. And ever since then, I've been receiving threatening notes that look just like the ones the other victims were receieving before they were taken. The Red Wing killer is after me, and I don't know what to do." She placed her hands on her face and rubbed her temples.

"You went to the police?" Garcia asked. Zoe nodded.

"They said all they could do was send a patrol car every couple of hours past my house at night. But the letters are coming more often, every day now. And yesterday, he sent me this." she pulled a polaroid from the box, and slid it across the table. It was of a woman, stripped naked and bound to a chair, with burns all over her body.

"That's my mother." Zoe said, as her voice cracked. Penelope's breath caught in her throat.

"Oh sweetie."

"Anyways, I've been doing lots of research online, and I came across the BAU a few times. I finally decided I needed some serious help when I got this, and I know since there hasn't been a victim yet, at least not in 20 years, and I know you guys only officially assist on police cases-"

"Stop," Garcia said, putting her hand up. "'Official' is not a word I believe in. I have friends in high places." she smiled as she pressed Morgan's name on her phone.

* * *

"Babygirl, I'm not so sure I can pull this one with Hotch." Morgan said, his thick eyebrows knotted together in concern.

"You owe me like 300 unclaimed favors and I assure you this one will wipe out, like, half of them." she whispered back. "It's a serial killer. That's who you guys are after. _And _one that is infamous for never being caught, _and _it's right here in Virginia. Pleaaaaaasssee."

Morgan sighed, and smiled. "I can't say no to a face like that. Is that her?" he nodded in the direction of Zoe, who stood, rocking nervously back and fourth on her toes, in the corner of the bullpen. "Let me talk to her, get more details on the case."

After a half an hour of studious note taking, Zoe watched agent Morgan report upstairs to meet with his boss. Her stomach was in knots, but she hardly noticed, it was becoming a normal feeling. She'd lost 20 pounds in the past five months, and now her thick brown hair was thinning. The stress was slowly eating away at her, and fear became a mortal enemy. Garcia had excused herself to go run some diagnostics in her lab, so Zoe sat at Morgan's desk alone.

"Um, has somebody helped you?" a voice said from behind her, and she spun the chair around. A thin, tall, and unusually attractive guy stood before her. She blinked up at him, not really registering what he had said.

"Oh, yeah, I'm just waiting for Agent Morgan." she replied.

"Are you his girlfriend?" the guy asked. She laughed, shaking her head.

"No, no, I'm Zoe. I, uh, came in because I needed help. He's talking to his boss about the case. My case. My mother's case. I..." she trailed off, trying to figure out how to explain in.

"Well, I'm Dr. Spencer Reid, I work with Dere-, uh, Agent Morgan. Why are you here?"

"Um...have you ever heard of the Red Wing Killer? Terrorized West Virginia in the early 90's, raped, tortured, killed 7 women?" she asked.

"Yeah!" his eyes lit up "I actually cited him in my thesis when I was writing a paper for a university magazine, I studied his case in one of my credential programs too, when I started working for the FBI. There was actually a survivor, if I remember correctly, although the amount of hallucinogenic drugs he fed to his victims made her incapable of remembering any details of him or what was done to her. I remember wanting to interview her a few years ago, but she was hard to track down. Wait, why are you here because of that?"

"I'm her daughter." she said, her tone unsure of how he would react.

He stopped, looking at her carefully. "Are you feeling okay?" he asked, noting the paleness of her skin, the way her hands shook, how her eyes were tinged red around the edges and her lips chapped. She was taken aback by the sudden change in subject.

"I'm fine. Just..." she paused for a second, twisting her lips to the side as she thought. "Each of the victims of that case, right, received identical threatening notes outlining what was going to be done to them when he took them, all of his twisted fantasies and ramblings on why he had to do this. Well, my mother died about 5 months ago, and since then, I've been receiving the same notes. The same handwriting, the same kind of stuff, all signed with an X. Just like theirs. I think he's back, and I think I'm his next victim."

**A/N: First Chapter- DONE! Next chapter on it's way tomorrow, I promise it'll be good! Review and subscribe if you like what you SEE:) Thanks for reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Ah! Thanks for the response guys, you only made me want to write faster! Please please _please _review, and I'll love you forever. **

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"You're right, Morgan, this isn't how we normally choose our cases." Aaron said sternly as he flipped through the Red Wing case file. "And the director will definitely find it unprofessional." he sighed, closing the file. "But we haven't had a case in a few days and I was about to fly you out to a Nevada town on a serial arsonist, but I think this one will take precedent. Arrange the team in the conference room, we can work close to home on this one which everyone should appreciate. What's the woman's name?"

"Zoe Martin." Derek said.

"Alright, I want her in there too, she's the only connection we have to a witness and she probably knows something she doesn't think she knows. Also, the stalking and harassment of the victims is key here, and she'll definitely be able to help with that."

Garcia had already made a small infopacket on the case from what articles and archives she could dig up. As the team gathered in the conference room, Zoe in the corner in an extra chair, she sent the packet to everyone's tablets, and set Spencer's old fashioned files in front of him with a playful hair ruffle.

"The Red Wing Killer has resurfaced after 20 years, after last being seen in 1992. There was no DNA evidence collected from the bodies, and Ms. Martin's mother's rape kit came up empty. So we have no DNA to work with."

Zoe made a little noise. Garcia looked up, and the team turned around.

"What if we do?" she asked quietly.

"What do you mean?" Garcia asked.

"Well, I mean, I might have, like, half his DNA." she looked embarrassed. "Haven't people gotten convictions on partial DNA matches, like, sibling or child? I know it's illegal in Illinois to do that, but seeing that I'm probably his daughter-"

"Wait, you didn't mention this before." Morgan said.

"I'm sorry." she looked genuinely worried. "My mother only told me the night she died, and it's sort of a sore spot." she wrinkled her nose. "That it's a possibility I have the DNA of a serial killer."

"That definitely changes the victimology." Rossi said. "He might be stalking his own daughter for other reasons."

"He doesn't know. How would he know?" Zoe said, fear creeping in her voice.

"He probably doesn't." Hotch said. "We should stay on track with the sexual sadistic motive, I think. Either way, Spencer can swab you and we'll send it to the lab so Garcia can run the DNA."

Spencer watched Zoe with concern. She was biting on her thumb nail, her eyebrows knotted together.

"What we should do is place an agent or two at Zoe's house for the next couple days. I'm going to make some calls to the PD who worked this case 20 years ago, they might be able to help. Reid, you're on security detail, and I want you to see if there's anything at her house that might help us identify this guy. While you're there, try and find a pattern in the letters. JJ, I think that if we make a press release saying that the Red Wing Killer has resurfaced, it might change the behavior of this guy. Morgan, work with Reid on Security detail, focus on the exterior of the house, so we can get a mock up on his perameters. I want to see how he's been stalking her consistently for 5 months. Rossi and I will head up to..." he glanced down at the file "Conrow, West Virginia, to gather any evidence and talk to the head detective on the case. We'll work up a profile by tomorrow."

As the team stood, gathering their belongings, Zoe rushed over to Garcia.

"Thank you so much for doing this, Ms. Garcia. You have no idea how much it means to me, you don't understand, I've been so scared these past few months, and finally someone listened to me. Thank you." she said gratefully. Garcia grinned, taking the woman's hand in her own.

"That's what we're here for. And you can call me Penelope."

"Come on, Zoe, we'll follow you to your house." Derek said.

"Actually, I took the bus and then walked. My car broke down and I can't afford to fix it." she explained. "Starving college student, heh." she said, her cheeks turning red again.

"We can just give you a ride." Reid said with a small smile.

* * *

Zoe had never felt more relief in her life than she had in the past hour at the BAU. She finally wasn't looking over her shoulder every 5 seconds, her thoughts were clear and less hysterical, and the constant flood of adrenaline was slowing down. In the backseat of the shiny SVU, she leaned against the window with exhaustion and quickly fell asleep, finally feeling safe enough to do so.

As she slept behind them, Reid watched her in the review mirror. She was startlingly beautiful, although her features were drawn and pale from exhaustion, he still felt himself drawn to her, but he didn't know why. He flipped open the file Garcia had compiled to read on what information they had on Zoe. She was a sophomore at the University of Virginia, working on getting her Masters in Ecology, and was an intern for the Virginia Environmental Society. She'd graduated high school early, at 16, and her educational history was covered in various awards for academics. On the next page, there was a report for sexual assault filed by her mother on behalf of Zoe, but underneath it said that the charges were dropped.

"She's cute, huh?" Morgan asked Reid when he noticed Reid flipping through her file.

"Oh, uh, I don't know." he shrugged.

"Yeaahh, right." Derek laughed, as he turned into the driveway of Zoe's small house. It had belonged to her mother, but when she passed, it was inherited by Zoe.

As Spencer helped the groggy young woman from the car, Derek began walking around the perimeter of the house, snapping pictures at the cars parked on the street.

"Uh, Morgan?" Reid called a moment later. Morgan jogged back to his fellow agent, who had his arm around Zoe, who's head was struggling to stay upright. Reid was holding another photograph in his hand. "This was on her door."

Derek took the picture. Instead of a polaroid, it was a printout of a woman bound to a chair, burns all over her body, and a blindfold over her eyes.

"Is this a copy of another one?" he asked Reid.

"No, that's not one of the other victims. Look at the date on the side of the image."

Derek did.

"This was taken yesterday. He's got someone else."

Zoe's head snapped up. "What?" she asked.

"Don't worry, we're just going to get you inside." Spencer said, gently taking her keys and unlocking the door.

"There's someone else? What is that?" she reached for the photograph, and looked down at the image. Her eyes filled with tears, and then closed. All at once, her knees gave out, and Spencer just barely stopped her head from hitting the porch railing.

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**A/N: Chapter 3 within a couple of hours, thanks again for reading! Please read and subscribe!**


	3. Chapter 3

Zoe awoke in her living room, her head spinning. It took her a moment to remember what happened. She sat up, looking around the room.

"Hello?" she called.

In the hallway, Spencer appeared.

"Oh, you're up. Are you feeling okay?" he said, walking towards her and sitting in the chair next to the couch.

She nodded. "Better, actually. What happened?"

"You fainted. You sort of came to once we set you on the couch, but you fell asleep pretty quickly right after. Does your head hurt? How's your vision?"

She blinked, rubbing her forehead. "Seems pretty normal. Um, who's that woman? In the picture?" she asked.

"I don't know. Garcia's looking for missing person cases right now all over the state and West Virginia, but we haven't found anyone matching her description yet."

"Do you think she's going to die?" Zoe whispered. Spencer looked at her carefully, noting the way her brown eyes caught the light, how her breath rose and fell in her chest.

"I don't know." he replied quietly. "But there's something you need to see."

He stood, and she followed him down the hall and into her bedroom, and then through to her bathroom. He pulled back the shower curtain, and gestured to a small black mark in the top right hand corner of the tile. She looked closer, climbing over the edge of the tub and standing on her tippy toes. It wasn't a mark, it was a small piece of black glass, mounted on one of the black tiles, because the shower was black and white checkered. She tapped it, it was round edged.

"Is that...?" she said. She looked at Spencer, her eyes wide with shock. "A camera?"

"Yeah, I wanted you to see it before I took it out."

"Oh, god." she whispered, stepping out of the shower. Spencer leaned over, trying to get a grip on the lens.

"Did you have anyone come work in your house in the past few months?"

"Yeah, a plumber, he fixed a leak my sink had in here, god, he couldn't have been in more than half an hour. I didn't even notice. Was it him?"

"I don't know for sure, but I doubt it. He probably payed the actual plumber to do it. Do you have the name of the business you used?"

"I probably can find the bill if I look."

"Okay, I can get JJ to go and talk to them." he pulled his walkie-talkie from his belt, and spoke into it. "Derek, do we have that tool set in the SVU still?"

"Yeah, I'll bring it in. Garcia is running the plates against anyone who has previously lived in West Virginia who's over the age of 30. Just a sec."

After a minute or two, Morgan appeared in the bathroom doorway with a small box.

"What's up?"

"There's a camera in here. I want to see if it has a wireless connection so Garcia can trace it."

* * *

As the day went on, not much in the case broke. Garcia had traced the wireless signal, but it bounced all over the map, and she couldn't find it's base no matter how many algorithms she used. Zoe felt much better with the two agents around, and she sat in a comfortable silence at the kitchen table with Spencer. She finally got some homework done, as Spencer hunted through the letters. She watched him more than she watched her own books and papers. His eyes darted across each paper faster than she'd seen anybody's, and his lips formed quiet words to himself as he wrote things down on a yellow legal pad. She was entranced by him, how his fingers twitched excitedly, how his expression changed everytime he noticed something important.

"Zoe, what ethnicity was your mother?"

"We're Brazilian. Well, I guess I'm only half. But she moved here with her family from Brazil when she was 5."

"All the other victims were white, blonde and blue eyed. He has a type, but he's after you."

"Yeah, I'm definitely not blonde and blue eyed." she sighed.

"I think he has a vendetta on your mother because she escaped, yet he's taking it out on you."

She placed her head in her hand, her eyes blinking slowly. She felt as though she should be terrified at this revelation, but now that she didn't have to be on constant guard, the only thing she could feel was tired.

"Are you okay, Zoe?" Spencer said. She grinned sheepishly.

"Oh you know, just a deranged serial killer who's probably my father stalking and harassing me, and probably going to kill me."

"He's not going to kill you. I-I-" he stuttered, "_we _won't let that happen. How much sleep have you gotten in the past few days."

"Like 6 hours, tops."

"You should go get some rest."

She thought maybe she should argue, but then decided against it.

"You'll be here?" she asked timidly. Spencer smiled slightly.

"Yeah, I'm going to be right out here all night if you need me. Agent Morgan too."

"Thank you." she said, standing. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"I think I have an idea. Do you want some help?"

"Nah, I got it. Thank you again, Dr. Reid."

He shook his head. "You don't have to call me that. Spencer is fine."

"Thanks, then, Spencer."

Their eyes met, and Spencer felt his pulse rise suddenly. He wasn't used to feeling so much attraction so suddenly, and tried to shake it off as hormones.

With the comfort of knowing Spencer was just outside her room, Zoe curled up in bed, and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Around 10 PM, as Morgan and Spencer sipped coffee in the kitchen, there was a sudden noise from outside, coming from the roof, like hailstones. Both agents froze, and then sprang into action.

"Go to Zoe's room, see if that woke her." Morgan said. Suddenly, all the lights in the house went out, and more things crashed onto the roof, some against the windows. There was the distinct sound of shattering glass.

Spencer tore down the hall and into Zoe's room. She was sitting up in bed, pressed up against her bedframe, her eyes wild with terror. When he pulled the door open, she yelped with surprise.

"It's just me, come here." he said, reaching for her hand and pulling her out of bed. She noticed the gun in his hand, and held onto him tightly.

"What is it?" she whispered.

"Don't know, come on." he said, and they hurried to the living room. Morgan was shining his flashlight out the front door.

"The entire block is dark. There's rocks all over the front yard, but it's clear I think." he said.

There was an abrupt and unexpected scream as television turned on. On screen was the same woman from the picture, bound in the same position.

A low grumbling voice spoke to the screaming girl. Zoe watched, shaking uncontrollably.

"Call Garcia!" Reid shouted at Morgan, who pulled his phone out of his pocket, and began rapidly telling Garcia the situation.

"You're going to die today, bitch, how 'bout you show little Zoe what's going to happen to her." the voice said. The man was holding a camcorder, and circled the bound woman like a lion circling it's prey. Spencer's eyes were locked on the television, and he didn't notice Zoe hyperventilating violently. On the television, the man pushed the girl forward, so her head was between her knees. With a red hot rod, he began carving his 'red wings' into the girl's exposed shoulderblades.

"No..." Zoe muttered as the girl screamed in agony.

"Zoe," he reached for her. "Zoe don't watch this."

She pushed away his hand, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Zoe, please." he whispered. He knew what was going to happen next.

The wings were finished, and the camera turned towards a table full of knives. He reached for a long, dull, rusted knife and held it tightly. He turned back to the girl, grabbing her hair and pulling her back. "Please, please-" the girl on the TV begged.

"Garcia, hurry!" Morgan said desperately into the phone.

"Zoe, close your eyes." Spencer ordered firmly, stepping towards her and grabbing her wrist, trying to turn her away.

"Don't let him, don't let him." she muttered maniacally.

"Look at me, Zoe."

There was a sudden silence as the girl's throat was slit. At the same moment, Reid pulled Zoe to his chest, wrapping his arms around her, muffling her hysterical screams.

"Don't let him! He can't! Please!" She cried, her sobs sending tremors through her body.

"I'm here, it's okay, he won't get to you." he said. He looked at Morgan, who watched the TV with wide eyes. Derek met his eyes, and shook his head.

For the next few hours, Spencer held Zoe on her couch as she cried and shook with fear. Morgan watched them from a chair by the front door, his head in his hands.

"It's alright, Zoe, you're safe." Spencer repeated to her, over and over.

But, he wasn't sure if that was completely true.

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**A/N: I hope there are some people out there who are enjoying reading this as much as I'm enjoying writing it. If you want more, please review! Update very soon!**


	4. Chapter 4

Spencer woke up to Morgan nudging him with a cup of coffee. He was laying on the couch, sprawled out, with Zoe asleep next to him, her head on his chest. He didn't remember falling asleep.

"Very professional." Derek said with a teasing wink.

"What happened?" Reid whispered back, noticing the change in Morgan's attitude.

"Break in the case, we found someone with her DNA, her half-brother was in the system. The result of a rape 22 years ago, and the mother is still alive. Hotch and Rossi are interviewing her right now to see what she remembers."

Reid sighed, trying to scoot away from Zoe. He managed to sit up without her waking, but she still rested on his stomach, her arm around his middle. He didn't mind, in fact, it had been so long since he was so physically close to a woman in such a manner, he felt warmed from the inside out. "JJ's on her way, Hotch thinks that Zoe should make a statement. You enjoying yourself?" he indicated the sleeping young woman.

Reid rolled his eyes and took a sip of the coffee. "This is weird." he admitted. "Not weird, but, different. I like it." he said, smiling in spite of himself.

There was a knock at the door, and Morgan stood to answer it. JJ walked in, wearing a long coat and her hair pulled back. She came around the corner and glanced down at Spencer.

"Hey, there, Spence." she said with a confused look on her face.

"It's not what it looks like." he said.

"Yeah it is." Morgan laughed.

After a few minutes of waiting, Zoe eventually stirred. She opened her eyes, and looked up at Spencer.

"Hi, you alright?" he asked. She nodded meekly, and sat up. She caught sight of Morgan and JJ watching her, and blushed deeply.

"Good morning." she said with a shy smile. Derek grinned back.

"I'm JJ, Zoe, I don't think we've been formally introduced." JJ said, sticking her hand out to Zoe.

"Hi, nice to meet you." she said. "Is it alright if I shower?"

"Yeah, of course." JJ said. Zoe turned to Spencer. "He won't be able to see me, right?" she whispered.

"No, it's okay, it's disconnected now."

She stood and returned to her bedroom.

"What happened last night?" JJ asked.

"Turns out that our man gave some kids five bucks to rain rocks down on the house." Morgan explained to the both of them. "And at the same time, to add the fear factor to this victim, he knocked out the power _and _sent the feed in of his most recent murder."

"She's not a victim." Reid said quietly, but defensively. JJ looked at him in surprise. "Did we ID the _actual _victim yet?"

Instead of addressing his tone, she answered his question. "No," she said coolly. "we're going to have to wait 'til he dumps the body."

"Great." he said, standing.

"Reid, do you need to go take a minute?" Morgan said. "You're handling this case unusually emotionally."

"Tell me about it." he said as he walked out the front door and into the front yard.

* * *

Despite the trauma of the previous night, Zoe felt unusually well rested. She dried her hair, watching herself in the mirror. Her eyes were rimmed with red, obviously from the crying, but the usual bags were gone from beneath her eyes, and there was color in her cheeks that hadn't directly resulted from being embarrassed.

She walked into her bedroom, carefully stepping around the broken glass around her window, and started to dig through her dresser for something to wear. She slid on a pair of underwear and a bra, and found a t-shirt she didn't hate.

She walked around the bed, t-shirt in hand, and stepped on something wet and sticky. She jumped back, looked down, and let out a deafening scream.

Half a moment later, her bedroom door burst open. She was pointing at the thing she stepped on, her back pressed against the wall.

"What is it?" Morgan asked, as he stepped closer, bending down to examine the object. Spencer peered over his shoulder.

"Human tongue." he said, a hint of disgust in his words.

Spencer turned to talk to Zoe, but averted his eyes as soon as he realized she wasn't properly dressed. JJ walked in the room, picking up a blanket from the bed. He looked back at Zoe, nearly unintentionally, his eyes drinking in the shape of her. Her angles, the slope of her breasts, the light tan color of her legs. He sent a silent prayer of thanks to the heavens for his photographic memory, and then felt guilty about it.

"Here, come out here with me Zoe." JJ said quietly.

"It must have been thrown in with one of the rocks last night." Morgan said. "I'll get an evidence bag. I can't imagine kids being able to handle a human tongue though, maybe he was out here after all."

"We shoulda swept the house last night after all that." Spencer said. "It must be the tongue from the last victim. I bet he prerecorded that video." he reached for the t-shirt that Zoe had dropped, and for the pajama pants she'd been wearing the night before. He also grabbed her glasses from her bedside table as Morgan went to go find some evidence bags.

She sat at the kitchen table wrapped in the blanket, her head in her hands, and JJ talked to her softly. She looked up when she heard Spencer approach.

"Here." he said, handing her the bundle of clothes and her glasses.

"Oh great, you noticed." she sighed. JJ laughed.

"There's not a lot that Spencer doesn't notice, trust me." she said. "He'll count every freckle on your nose before you've said hello."

"Really?" she asked him as he sat down.

"Yeah. Photographic memory along with an acute attention to detail, it's sort of habitual."

"What did you notice about me when you first met me, then, doc-tor?" she asked, leaning back and watching him with interest, grateful for the distraction.

"I took your pulse when I shook your hand, and it was unusually high for resting. I estimated how much sleep you'd had in the past week, determined it wasn't much. Your pupils were dilated: indicating either fear or sexual attraction, and I assumed fear due to the fact that your hands were shaking. You had a penmark on your neck, below your ear, and you'd put mascara on only one eye, but that wasn't obvious really." he recited quickly.

"Wow." she said in awe. "So my hope of you not noticing my almost nudity was definitely a long shot."

"Yeah, sorry about that." he said, smiling sheepishly.

"Wait, if you figured all that out, why did you ask if I was Agent Morgan's girlfriend?"

"You were sitting at his desk." he lied quickly, but JJ caught him do it. He glanced at her, and she nodded, indicating that yes, he couldn't get away with it in front of her.

"We should let you get dressed." JJ said. "And I've got to talk to you about a possible press conference I'd like you to be involved with."

"Public speaking isn't my strong suit." Zoe replied nervously.

"Don't worry, we'll walk you through it."

"Okay. I'll go get dressed in the back bedroom, I think." she said, standing. "Be right back."

When she was out of earshot, JJ turned back to Spencer.

"Why did you lie to her just then?" she asked once Zoe was out of earshot.

"JJ, because, the actual truth was a little forward." he said.

"Why _did_ you ask if she was Morgan's girlfriend?"

"Because she was really...beautiful. I just assumed, because Morgan is always dating extraordinarily gorgeous women."

Right as he said this, Morgan walked in. He laughed.

"That is absolutely right, pretty boy. But they're never quite and pretty as you." he teased. Reid rolled his eyes. "And I approve of this one for sure. You should ask her out once we catch this guy."

Spencer shrugged, but the small smile on his lips let them both know he was thinking about doing just that.

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**A/N: Next chapter up soon! Thank you so much to everyone who's subscribed and reviewed, you're making this so much fun! Please please PLEASE review! :)**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Hi everyone! Chapter 4 was a little weak, so I hope this one will meet your expectations (if you have any) and you'll really enjoy it! Please review - kisses****!**

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"So, what we really want to do is show that you aren't _hiding _from him, but instead exposing him. That you aren't afraid to speak about him in public. He looks for weakness in his victims, so when you stand up to him and give away details on what he's been doing to you these past few months. Try to rely on 'You' statements, as if you're directly addressing him." JJ explained to Zoe, as another woman adjusted Zoe's makeup.

"I'm not so sure about this. What if he's here?" she said, glancing over her shoulder.

"Myself, Agent Morgan, and Agent Reid will be standing right behind you the entire time. I've asked the audience to hold their questions until the end, and I'll be answering them."

Zoe closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "You'll do great." JJ said, touching the girl's arm.

Minutes later, Zoe stood behind an official looking podium, looking down at the papers in front of her. The cameras had not yet started rolling, but they would any second. She glanced behind her. Agent Morgan was scanning the crowd, but Reid's eyes were on her. He smiled a tiny bit when she caught his eye, but was trying to remain stern-faced. She turned back around, and JJ stepped next to her for a second.

"Cameras on in 5, good luck."

Zoe cleared her throat, feeling the tension rise in her muscles.

"Good afternoon, everybody, my name is Zoe Martin. I'm coming forward today to speak about and address the man known as The Red Wing Killer. 20 years ago, he terrorized West Virginia by kidnapping, torturing, and killing 7 women. The 8th woman, was my mother, and the only one who survived." she swallowed, taking a breath. She didn't know where to look in the room, so she settled on a fire alarm on the back wall. "5 months ago, when my mother died, I began receiving threatening notes and being harassed and stalked constantly by the same man who committed these crimes 20 years ago. Since I contacted the FBI, their efforts in protecting me and hunting down the killer have been more than I could have ever hoped for."

She paused again, looking down at the room full of reporters, and then to her notes. She cleared her throat, but felt she was doing better than expected.

"However, sometime in the past week, he has murdered another victim, who we have not yet identified. Now I address the man himself. I may not know what you look like, or where you are, but I know you. I know what you're trying to do to me, and I will not become one of your victims. I assure you, no matter what it takes, you will be found, and you will be stopped." she focused her brown eyes on the cameras as she said this, and then stepped away from the podium. "Thank you."

The entire room burst into a cacophony of questions, and cameras began flashing nonstop. JJ took her place as Zoe walked towards Spencer.

"That was perfect." he said, stepping close to her so any journalists couldn't see what they were saying.

"Are you sure?" she asked nervously. He nodded.

"Come on, we have to get you off this stage." he said, taking her arm and leading her down the steps. Morgan followed closely.

They walked into a small holding room where there were chairs and tables.

"Well if that's not going to change his behavior, I don't know what will." Morgan said. Right as he said it, his phone buzzed, and he tugged it out and put it to his ear. Zoe sat at one of the tables, running her hand through her hair nervously.

"How are you feeling?" Spencer asked her.

"Fine. I don't know. I just want this to be over, is all. I'm ready to move on with my life." she said quickly. He nodded, sitting across from her. She looked up at him, smiling. "I like your tie." she said. He looked down. It was dark purple with tiny blue polkadots.

"Thanks. My mom always used to tell me if you don't look you're-"

"Guys," Morgan said, interrupting Reid. "they found the body and identified the girl. Zoe, do you know a girl named Johanna Reese?"

She closed her eyes, bringing a hand to her face. "It was her?" she whispered. "I didn't recognize her. How didn't I recognize her?"

"Who's Johanna Reese?" Reid asked.

"She was one of my roommates last year, when I lived in the dorms. Oh, my god." she whispered. The images from the video played through her mind, and she stood abruptly as a wave of nausea rocked her. "I think I'm going to be sick." she said quickly, before running towards the bathroom in the rear of the room. The door slammed behind her.

"What else is this guy going to do to torment her?" Reid asked Morgan.

"I don't know. I'm just surprised she made it this long without being either killed or at least severely injured by him. But I think our involvement escalated his actions, like, he lost control of the situation when we showed up."

In the bathroom, Zoe sat on the floor with her head in her hands. Someone she knew was dead and it was her fault. Only because she knew her. Maybe she could just stay in this bathroom until the guy was caught, or he died. Yeah, she could live in here. She looked up at the fluorescent light. There was a plug in the corner, she could probably get a camp stove in here. And there was running water.

She laughed quietly in spite of herself. Was she just rationalizing living in a bathroom?

She stood slowly, leaning on the sink. She switched on the faucet and washed her face off. The thought that it had been Johanna on that tape struck her again, and her stomach heaved. She clutched the edges of the sink, squeezing her eyes shut. She wanted to scream, to run, to turn into a tiny little ball of dust and float away. She smacked her hand against the sink, and caught a sharp edge of the ceramic. She swore, watching the blood blossom across her palm. Fantastic.

She pumped out some paper towels and pressed it against the cut. '_Be strong, minha filha' _her mother's voice filled her head. She used to say that to her when she had nightmares as a little girl, or was being bullied at school. _Stand up and be strong. _She was alive. She was still surviving.

She wiped away the tears on her face, and flushed the bile from her mouth with tap water. She looked in the mirror, wiping away the smeared mascara. She stood up straighter, readjusted her shirt.

She pushed open the bathroom door.

* * *

Back at Zoe's house, she'd busied herself with cleaning up the broken glass and tidying the house in general. She hadn't said much since she'd locked herself in the bathroom, so Spencer wondered what was going on in her head. That morning, as she was giving her press release, Hotch and Rossi had delivered the profile to a small team on the FBI. They were hunting down every last lead, searching desperately for a suspect. There had to be a break.

Spencer's phone rang at 4:02PM.

"Hello?"

"Boy wonder, I've got something. A big something. A description of our suspect. Remember that woman we tracked down, the rape victim 20 years ago? She remembered something. A name the man had her call him. 'Mr. Dale.' I cross referenced this with other rapes from that same time, and found two other living victims, one of whom had a very clear memory of him, and was able to give a sketch artist a rendering."

"Okay, what happened?"

"Ohhh, I am just the best is all. So, using that plumber perv who planted the camera, who, by the way, is a little bitter about losing his job, but was willing to look at the sketch because it might get him a lesser sentence. As soon as he saw it, he remembered the guy much better, even the car he drove, a dark green Ford Explorer. So using that, with his age, and the area in which we think he's living, I found him. He lives in the suburbs, but owns some property in the countryside, a little plot of woods where we think he keeps his victims. I'm sending the coordinates to you and Morgan now, you're going to meet the rest of the team there."

Once he hung up, he stood to tell Zoe all of this. She didn't react as he expected.

"You're going to leave me here alone?" she said suspiciously.

He paused, and then realized. "You're right. No, we'll take you to the BAU headquarters first."

"Okay." she said.

"Are you okay? What's up?" he asked.

"I just have a feeling this isn't over yet. I have a feeling, it's not going to be this easy."

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**A/N: Chapter 6 up in a jiffy! thanks for reading, review if you'd like! All constructive criticism is welcome(: **


	6. Chapter 6

Once Zoe was safe in the well-guarded FBI offices, the team made their way towards The Red Wing Killer's country property. Spencer couldn't get Zoe out of his mind, how she had under-reacted when he said they'd found the man. She probably didn't believe him, it probably sounded too good to be true.

Decked out in their usual vests and gear, the team made their way towards the small house in a clearing in the woods. The windows were dark, and Morgan kicked in the front door. They shined their bright flashlights all around the empty room. There was hardly a thing inside. Dust streamed in the beams of light, and there were pieces of broken furniture scattered along the walls. Hotch pounded his boot against the floor, which made a hollow thumping noise.

"Check for a basement door." he said, and they began scanning the floor closer. Reid pointed his beam of light along where the wall met the ceiling, and in the corner he caught a reflection.

"Hang on, look, camera." he said, stepping towards it. It was nearly identical to the one he'd found in Zoe's shower. There was a sound of splintering, old wood from behind him as Morgan loosened the basement latch. "He's watching us." he whispered. His mind turned around this information, and each new thought shot off a dozen different theories.

"This was a distraction." he said as he realized. "He was waiting for us all to get here so he could get to Zoe."

"Well, he can't get to her in the BAU." Hotch said.

"I'm glad she said something." Reid said quietly.

"It's clear down here, too. Just a cellar that's empty. This guy's playing us, leading everyone down false trails."

"He's spinning out of control quickly though, he's going to slip up soon." Rossi said, glancing out the window and into the forest. "It's a matter of time."

* * *

Back at the office, Zoe sat at Spencer's desk. She was tired, and wondered if it would be too unprofessional to lay her head down on the desk and fall asleep. It's not like she worked here, after all. She reached for one of the photos on Spencer's desk. He was bent down next to a little boy with long blonde hair, who was wearing a cardigan and tie. She grinned at the picture, the little boy was terribly cute, and looked a lot like JJ.

She realized she didn't have any family, now that her mother was gone. She had myriads of cousins and uncles and aunts back in Brazil, but she'd only met them a couple times. The one person left was her father, and he was presumably trying to torture and kill her. She looked at Spencer's smile in the photo, and had to smile back. It was terribly infectious, and she wished she'd seen more of it. What was going to happen when they actually did arrest this man?Would that be it? Would the people who'd saved her life be gone from it forever?

She spun around in the chair just in time to see the team walk in through the doors. She stood quickly, nervously fiddling with her fingers.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Nobody was there. We checked his house in the suburbs too, but totally empty. Neighbors haven't seen him in weeks." Hotch said to her. "And I'm starting to doubt your house is safe, so we booked you a room in a hotel underneath a different name. We'll keep the security detail too," he nodded at Spencer.

"Can we stop by my house so I can get some stuff first, though?" she asked quietly. Spencer nodded, and the pair made their way towards the exit. Morgan began to follow them, but Hotch stopped him. "Reid can handle it, you should take the night off, I can tell you're tired. I'll check in on them a couple times tonight and assign another agent to the front entrance of the hotel."

* * *

"I'm sorry he wasn't there, Zoe." Spencer said, as he guided the car out of the parking lot and onto the street.

"It's not your fault." she said. "Look, I don't want to think about it, right now, really. So let's talk about something else." she smiled at him. "Tell me about yourself, what's it like working at the FBI?"

"Hm," he said, thinking as he waited at a red light. "I've been shot once, kidnapped and tortured another time. I spend my days looking at brutal crimes, various dead bodies, and hunting down murderous psychopaths. So it's a little refreshing to be interacting with someone who isn't dead or crazy, for once."

"I am still half crazy-murderer psychopath, though." she said.

"Baby steps," he joked "baby steps. In all honesty though, I can't imagine doing anything else. Most people with my skill set end up programming computers for the rest of their lives, or working in a university maybe. Or we just become criminals."

"'We?'" she asked.

"Right, nobody told you huh?" he eased the car onto the on ramp. "It's more of a running joke with the team sometimes. I'm technically a genius. I graduated high school at 12 and have an...abnormally high IQ." he said. His tone wasn't bragging, like she thought maybe most people's would have been, but instead matter-of-fact.

"Wow, I am...very intimidated right now." she admitted after a moment, with a chuckle.

"No, don't worry, where I excel in some areas, I tend to lack in others, so it evens me out to be pretty average."

"That's not the word I would have used." she said. "Where did you grow up?"

"Vegas."

"Wow, how exotic."

"_That's _not the word I would have used." he parroted. "Maybe seedy, glitzed up trashy. But exotic?"

"Huh, I've never been." she said. "It always looks so glamorous on TV."

"Yeah, that's what they want you to think."

They neared her neighborhood, and the traffic began to slow. Spencer leaned back in the chair, keeping one hand on the wheel. He glanced over at Zoe. She sat Indian style in the seat, and peered out the car window. She was wearing a tank top, so her arms and shoulders, collar bones and neck were all exposed - soft, olive-toned skin. He set his eyes back on the road, and suddenly leaned forward, peering out, squinting. A fire truck ripped past.

"Looks like something is on fire in the distance." he commented. As soon as he said this, Zoe's heart caught in her throat. She leaned forward, pushing her glasses up higher.

"Oh god," she whispered "That's my neighborhood," she said, her voice thick with dread. They were completely stopped in traffic now, but she had never felt so suddenly anxious about the usual gridlock.

"That's what I thought," he replied. He switched something on, the SUV's siren and flashing lights came on. "Hang on."

He peeled out onto the side of the road, and drove perilously close to the center cement median. They passed the rows of cars as passengers and drivers alike looked on with curiosity. They reached the end of the row of cars, and Spencer raced across intersection and toward the housing development. The smoke plume was closer, thick, black smoke rising from the center of the neighborhood.

"Please, just let it be a coincidence." she begged as he navigated past stop signs and curious pedestrians.

When they turned onto her street, it was apparent it was not, in fact, a coincidence.

He stopped the car across the street from her burning home. She turned to her, expecting her to be sitting and watching the flames, but instead she'd jumped out of the car and started running towards her house. He swore as he unbuckled his seat belt, and raced after her, reaching her right before she got to her front lawn. She was screaming, struggling to get away from him.

"I have to get in! Everything's in there!" she shouted. He had to physically lift her off the ground, and she was still kicking like she was trying to run inside. Finally, she went limp, and her knees hit the ground. Two firemen had jogged over to see what was wrong, but Spencer waved them away.

"What else does he want from me?" she cried. "What else do you want?" she screamed.

"Zoe," Spencer began, trying to find some words to comfort her.

"That was all I had left of my mother, you don't understand. That was _ours._" she cried harder.

Spencer knelt down next to her. "I'm so sorry." he whispered.

But she just cried.

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**A/N: Review for more, if you'd like to! Thanks for reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

Zoe sat on the bed in the hotel room with her knees to her chest. She was alone, for the moment, as Reid had went to pick up something to eat for the pair of them. The other agent, someone named Tanner, was outside her door.

The firemen said she could come back tomorrow to retrieve anything, if there was anything left to salvage. She pressed her palms into her eyes. Her mother's books, her favorite childhood toys, the art her family sent them every year from Brazil. All her clothes, her books, her paper from school.

And yet, she was practically numb to the pain. Tragedy after tragedy had struck her life in such a short time, all she could do was sit there, and wait for time to heal her. Hope that time would heal her.

A few blocks away, Reid was carrying a bag of Chinese food back to the hotel, and his mind was on Zoe. How she would be acting for the next 14 or so hours, when they'd be in a confined space together. The team had reported to Zoe's house to see if there was any physical evidence that might help them on the case, but so far there wasn't any news.

When he returned to the hotel room, Zoe was leaning back on the pillows, switching through the tv channels. She looked more relaxed than when he'd left, which he took as a good sign.

"Hey," he said, setting the bag on the edge of the bed, and then sitting on the adjoining bed. "hungry?"

She shrugged, leaning forward and propping her chin on her arm.

"I should probably eat, yeah." she said, reaching inside the bag and pulling out a take-out box and a pair of chopsticks. "How do you FBI agents not weigh 300 pounds if this is what you normally eat?"

"We don't normally eat. I've seen Hotch survive at least 2 weeks on coffee and determination alone." he said, and she laughed, which surprised him.

"You seem happier than I expected." he admitted.

"It hasn't quite sunken in yet, I think. I don't want to think about it, actually. Let's talk about something else."

He took a bite of Chow Mein and slipped off his Converse. She grinned at his mismatching socks. "What do you want to talk about?" he asked.

Her nose wrinkled, and then her eyes widened. "Oh, you want to see this cool trick I learned when I was, like, 10?" she said, scooting towards the wall the right side of the bed was pushed against.

"Absolutely."

She swung her legs up, so they were pressed against the wall, sticking straight up. She scooched down, so her tail bone and bottom were also touching the wall. Then, she paused.

"We have any fortune cookies?" she asked. Spencer leaned for the bag and tossed her one, which she quickly unwrapped, and then handed Spencer her container of chow mein. "Hold this." She sat up, to place the small cookie in between the big toes of both her feet. Reid watched with awe. When she was back in her original position - laying flat on her back with her legs against the wall, she looked back at Spencer.

"Count to three." she ordered.

"Okay?" he said. "One...two...three." on three, she pushed her legs off the wall, dropping the fortune cookie towards her face. She then continued to do a backwards somersault. When she was sitting upright again, she turned to face Reid, and the cookie was in between her teeth.

Spencer stared at her, his mouth slightly open, barely smiling.

"I didn't want to put noodles on my toes." she said simply, reaching for her container.

"Now that was impressive."

"I did gymnastics for a long time." she said, by way of explanation. She took a bite of the noodles. "Okay, your turn."

"What, you want me to do some weird flip and catch food in my mouth at the same time?" he asked.

"No, I mean, what's something you can do."

"Not a lot." he said, "unless you're interested in watching me recite statistics on rape victims, or maybe working out a math problem."

She grinned, and Spencer remained impressed by her sudden bubbly mood. He guessed maybe just some people dealt with grief different than others.

"C'mon, something you learned as a kid."

"I dunno." he said, looking down at his food. "All I ever knew as a kid was, like, literature. My mom used to read to me all the time, and then I read them all the time..."

"Oh?" she said, her eyebrow perking up.

"Yeah." he said. "That's about it, as far as _special talents._"

"You said you had a photographic memory, didn't you?"

He sighed, nodding.

"Recite something, then. If knowing loads of eccentric, ancient poetry isn't a talent, then neither is my weird fortune cookie trick."

"Fine." he said, clearing his throat. His mind searched for a poem, and he began speaking before he could even realize how appropriate the poem was for the situation.

_"She walks in beauty, like the night, of cloudless climes and starry skies;_" he said slowly, like his mother taught him to. Recite love poems, slowly, so your listeners can drink in all the words, and feel them with the very pieces of their soul.

_"And all that's best of dark and bright, meet in her aspect and her eyes"_ he said, watching Zoe watch him. Their eyes met. His voice was careful, calm, practiced, like he did this everyday.

_"Thus mellow'd to that tender light, which heaven to gaudy day denies."_ he continued, and her eyes fell on his lips, hypnotized as they formed the syllables. He licked his bottom lip as he paused, which sent a jolt of electricity down her spine.

_"One shade the more, one ray the less, had half impair'd the nameless grace..."_ he still stared at her, as they both sat, enraptured in the moment; her, by his voice, his mouth, his eyes, and he, by the expression on her face as she listened. _"Which waves in every raven tress, or softly lightens o'er her face;"_

_"Where thoughts serenely sweet express, how pure, how dear their dwelling-place." _he was nearly whispering now, saying each word not as though it was memorized, but instead as if each word was his own, and he was saying them to Zoe, and only Zoe.

_"And on that cheek, and o'er that brow,_" he glanced at each part as he said them, "_so soft, so calm, yet eloquent,_"

_"The smiles that win,_" he said, and she grinned "_the tints that glow, but tell of days in goodness spent, a mind at peace with all below,_" he paused, as Zoe moved off the center of the bed, to the edge, to face him, so their knees were nearly touching.

_"A heart whose love is innocent._"he finished, and the room fell silent. As he finished, shivers sent goosebumps all over Zoe's skin.

"I really like you, Doctor Spencer Reid." she said quietly.

He looked down for a moment, and then up at her again. "The feeling is _very _mutual." he replied.

* * *

**A/N: Finally, I got some romance out of my system! More to come, please review! **


	8. Chapter 8

There was a knock at the door suddenly, interrupting the spell. Spencer stood, quickly, going to the door and peeking out the peep hole. He opened it half a second later. Hotch came in, looking more gruff than usual.

Zoe sat back on the bed, shrinking slightly. Hotch set the folder on the desk.

"You've interacted with this man before, Zoe." he said sternly.

"What?" she said.

"What are you talking about?" Spencer quipped.

"You just don't remember it." he said. "I just now saw the sexual assault charge on your record. It was probably him."

"Oh," she said softly. "no, it was definitely not him."

Spencer's chest tightened as he saw the fear slip back into Zoe's eyes.

"Is there possible there's a connection between them at all?" he asked.

"Unless he was a year old when he murdered and kidnapped these women, no it's not the same person. It was a guy I went to high school with, I highly doubt they are connected." she said. Her voice had gone flat; gone was the flirtatious hilt, or the poetic tune that was present while she spoke to Spencer. Now it was flat, dull.

"What was his name?"

"Mike LaBoerelle." she replied coolly.

He wrote it down quickly. "We'll look into it, I'm sorry to bring this up so suddenly, it's just really important in case they're somehow connected. Sometimes stalkers can use third parties to lash out at a victim, start their fear early."

"Okay." she said.

He turned to Spencer. "Nothing unusual?" he asked. Spencer shook his head.

"It's all been fine. We've just been laying low."

"Alright." Hotch said. "Keep me in the loop."

* * *

Once Hotch was gone, Zoe was quiet. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and picked up the remote. Spencer sat down on the bed again.

"I'm sorry...I don't think he realized-"

"It's okay, Spencer." she said. "It's not a problem. It was a long time ago."

"How old were you?" he said gently.

"15. Not the most romantic way to lose your virginity, y'know? In a janitor's closet." she said, and then cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry." he said. "I really am, for everything. Nobody should have to lose so much so suddenly."

She shrugged. "Guess it sets me up Karma-wise for the rest of my life. Get it all out of the way in half a year. _Que e a vida." _She said in Portuguese.

"Are you fluent?" he asked.

"Yes. Well, sort of. Out of practice. My mother taught me growing up. She'd say something in English and I'd have to respond in Portuguese. She called me _'meu brilho', '_my glow'." she said. Her eyes were somewhere else. After a moment she shook her head.

"What's your mom like?" she asked. "You said she taught literature."

"Did. She currently lives in a mental hospital. She has severe schizophrenia." he said with a slight frown.

"Oh Spencer..." she began.

"It's alright. It's actually hereditary, which was scary for a while, but I'm past the point of danger now, or so they say." he shrugged, leaning back on his pillows.

"What a life this is." she sighed. She climbed off the bed, and then paused. "I got up to change into something more comfortable, and then realized.." she trailed off, and slumped back onto the mattress. "I guess it's a chance to update my wardrobe." she said bitterly, and Spencer laughed.

"Looking on the bright side." he stood up and went to the corner, where his small travel bag was. He poked through it for a second, and then pulled out a blue, longsleeved button up shirt. "Here, it's all I've got, unless you want to wear my e=mc2 shirt that has a coffee stain on the back, instead."

"No, this is great, actually." she smiled at him, taking the shirt. It was surprisingly soft, where most dress shirt's she'd seen or felt had been starchy or dry. "Be back in a second." she said, before she disappeared into the bathroom.

Reid took the moment alone to switch into his own pajamas, a black pair of flannel bottoms he'd got years before, and the same e=mc2 shirt aforementioned, a gift from Garcia. He slipped out his contacts, a process that without fail, always gave him shivers, and found his glasses in a side pocket of the bag.

The bathroom door opened and he turned around right as he slipped on his glasses. Into view came Zoe, who'd tied up her wavy dark hair into a bun, and changed into Reid's shirt, which fit her so the hem rested halfway down her thigh.

"I might keep this." she said. "It is shockingly comfortable."

"Well, I practically live in those things, so I don't skimp on the fabric softener."

She crawled over the bed and kicked at the sheets so she could wiggle under. Spencer watched, amused. He caught the slightest glimpse of lavender lace trimmed underwear, and spun around, returning to his duffel bag and collecting one of the books inside. He also set his gun on his bedside table.

"God, I don't think I've ever been this tired." she said, leaning back and pressing herself into the pillows. Her eyes were still open, watching the news. The story changed, and onto the screen flashed her house, being consumed with flames.

_A local woman's house today was burnt to the ground by an apparent arsonist. _

They both sat up, Zoe put a hand over her mouth.

_Zoe Martin, a local university student, came out recently to reveal that the feared 90's serial killer, The Red Wing killer, has returned. Experts believe that this fire, in fact, was set by the man in question. _

More shots of Zoe's burning house and the crowd around it played as details of the murders were being explained. Zoe made a sudden shriek, and pointed at the TV.

"That was him! That was him!" she said. "In front of my house. In the crowd. Can you rewind?" she picked up the remote and fiddled with it, and then rewound the footage. After a moment, a shot of the small crowd gathered in front of the house appeared, and she paused. She crawled across the bed and stood. "Right there, him." she announced.

"Who?"

"That's Mike LaBoerelle. He was there." she whispered. "I can't believe it."

Spencer dialed his phone as fast as he could.

* * *

**A/N: Alright, folks! Chapter 8 _done. _A couple small announcements - a) I changed the story cover because I finally found a better model for Zoe, thank goodness, so it's fixed accordingly. And b) I commissioned my friend and very talented artist to do some fanart for me, so very soon there will be some really awesome images of Spencer and Zoe for the next part in this series. I really hope you're all enjoying this, please review, I LOVE feedback:) Thanks for reading!**


	9. Chapter 9

After she saw the hauntingly familiar face on the TV, Zoe had some trouble sleeping. She was huddled up next to a bundle of pillows, her face pressed into the fluff. She missed her bed, the familiar smell of coconut oil candles in her bedroom.

Next to her, illuminated by the moonlight streaming in from the window, in the opposite bed, was Spencer. She sat up, glancing at the illuminated red letters of the clock. She smiled at his sleeping visage. She was so thankful for his help, she wasn't sure how she was going to repay him. She was so taken by his quiet awkwardness, the intelligent spark in his big brown eyes. God, if this was any other situation, maybe she'd have a chance with him.

Maybe she did.

She closed her eyes, trying to imagine what it would be like to be with him. Often her imagination ran quickly, and fantasies got out of hand before she realized. Before she knew it, she was trying to imagine the perfect wedding dress, how handsome Spencer would look in a suit and tie.

She shook her head, pushing away her daydream. She hardly knew him!

But she did know he memorized poetry, and his mother had schizophrenia. That he'd once been kidnapped and tortured, and worked for the FBI. That he'd graduated high school at 12 and was a genius and doctor. She also knew how his face looked when he was sleeping, and how his neck smelled. Or how his eyes looked when he was scared, and that he used extra fabric softener in his work shirts. She knew that he couldn't used chopsticks, because he'd been eating with a fork, and that he was bad at matching socks. It was more than she learned on any first date.

She was so physically exhausted, and yet, she felt more wide awake than she'd ever been. Her skin ached, and she closed her eyes again.

Suddenly, she heard Spencer get up. "Zoe?" he said in a haggard voice. "Can you sleep?"

"No," she muttered. "not really."

"Let me help you," he said, reaching for his gun and cocking it. He stood above her, with the barrel pointed at her face. "1...2...3" he whispered, and the bang echoed across the room. She awoke with a scream, her breath coming and going maniacally.

Spencer's hand covered her mouth, and he put his finger to his lips. His gun was in his hand. Zoe's eyes widened. It had been a dream, but the gunshot had been very real.

He moved to the door of the hotel room as Zoe shrunk in bed. They both jumped as there was a knock at the door. Spencer looked out the peephole, and his body relaxed.

"Hey, some drunk guy just knocked over this huge vase of flowers, don't worry, it's fine." Agent Tanner said through the door.

"Right, okay, thanks." Spencer called back. He set his gun down on the TV stand and ran his hands through his hair. "Quite a way to start a morning, I guess." he said. She glanced at the clock. It was 4:43AM.

"I don't think there's a chance I'm falling back asleep after that." Zoe admitted. She reached for her glasses on the nightstand and slipped them on. "I think I might take a shower, is that okay?"

"What? Oh, yeah, that's fine. I'm going to go get some coffee from the lobby, there was a 24 hour place. Do you want something?"

"Yeah, actually, a latte sounds good, but with an extra shot of espresso. Lord knows I'm going to need it today."

* * *

When Spencer returned with the coffees, Zoe was still in the shower. She was singing something, quietly, but it was still audible over the shower. He smiled to himself, setting her coffee next to the bed and opening the curtains of the window. It was cloudy out, the dawn just barely lit the sky, but it didn't look like rain. He felt unusually relaxed, the walk up and down the hotel stairs had soothed his nerves. He was in a nice hotel room with a stunning woman, and he wasn't freaking out. Deep down he knew he could fall in love with her, but figured it was impossible. She was wonderfully intelligent, kind, funny, and beautiful. And he had to protect her.

Zoe walked back into the room, with her hair dripping as she dried it with the towel. She wore the same outfit she'd been wearing the day before, jeans and the navy blue tank top.

"I don't know what I'm going to do." she said. "What if you never catch this guy? What if I have to stay in hiding forever?"

"We're going to catch him." Spencer assured her. "or die trying."

"I hope nobody dies trying." she sighed. "Especially not you." she sat on the edge of the bed, wiggling her bare toes. "My house is gone." she said.

"And the insurance is going to take care of it."

"I know, it's just, surreal. I'm going to have to start looking for a new place soon or else I'll be stuck in this hotel room with you forever." she looked at him and smiled. "not that that would be the worst thing in the world. Is that mine?" she indicated the cup.

"Yeah." he said. "And it's not bad, for hotel coffee."

"I should call my insurance people today, try and start putting in some claims. Seems like a lot of work to me."

"You'll probably end up with more money than the house is really worth. Typically housing insurance claims from fires almost double the house's original worth, because of all the property inside."

"Maybe I'll end up actually paying off those college loans."

With Reid on his bed and Zoe sitting on the floor, they talked and drank coffee for what seemed like hours. Zoe made Spencer laugh, and he wondered at the possibility of how she would be if she was truly and completely happy. And Zoe remained in awe of Spencer, at how words flew out of his mouth like water, each one captivating her completely. She couldn't imagine anything he ever said to be 'annoying', although he claimed most people thought it was.

Around 7, Zoe's stomach made a noise, and with a smile, Spencer suggested they get breakfast.

"Do you think it'll be alright? Safe, I mean?"

"You'll be with me. And we'll go out to a public place."

She grinned, looking excited. "It'd be nice to do something normal for a change."

* * *

They walked through the quiet streets of a local shopping area. It was frigid, so Zoe wore the extra sweater Reid had. They stopped at a little breakfast cafe and ordered croissants. As Zoe sat on one of the metal chairs outside, looking up at the sky, she couldn't remember a time when she'd been happier than that in the past few months.

She felt the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She sat up suddenly, and Spencer looked at her in surprise.

"What?" he asked.

She scanned around, up and down the street, for whatever had just made her skin crawl. And then her eyes fell on his, just a glimpse, as he slipped into an alley.

"He's here, Spencer. He's right over there. Mike." She reached for his leg and grabbed his knee. Reid began to stand, his hand on his gun.

"No, no, the other guy might be here too. When you leave, he'll have a chance to-" she shuddered. "Let's just get inside." She reached for him when he stood, standing close and clutching onto his arm. "Just, don't go okay?"

Spencer pressed a button on his phone, and held it up to his ear. They settled on the couch in the back corner of the cafe.

"He's here, he found us." he said.

* * *

**A/N: REVIEEEWW  
seriously, thank you to all the new followers since my last chapter, fanart coming soon! Kisses :3 !**


	10. Chapter 10

Within minutes of their arrival in the area, the rest of the BAU team had arrested Mike LaBoerelle. They found him trying to steal a car, and brought him into custody immediately.

When Reid hung up the phone, and relayed the information to Zoe, he'd never seen her look so relieved.

"One step closer to this being over." Reid said, and she put her hand over her mouth, trying to contain her smile. That was the thing about her smile, Reid noticed, it was like once it started, it was hard to stop it. It was so wide, and bright, her entire face lit up. "He knows where the unsub is. He's got to. Listen, once we know where he is, you can get back to normal. I mean, what is considered normal after all this."

She sighed, wiggling her nose. "What do we have to do today? I mean, am I stuck in that hotel another night, or can I start looking for an apartment?"

"I think that's fine. Right now, though, how about you call your insurance agent, I need to call Garcia really fast. I'll be right outside."

She left her on the couch, shuffling through her purse for her insurance information.

"Hey, Garcia, can you do me a favor?" he asked her as soon as she picked up the phone. "Only if you have a second."

"I'm free as a bird, my dear, what's up?"

"I was wondering if you could compile all the listings for apartments in the area, if you do it through your engines you can probably find it faster than, like, craigslist right?"

"Psh, I thought you had a real challenge for me. Standby. Do you want me to send this to you?"

"Could you actually print it out and I'll get it at the office?"

"Yeah, what's this for anyways?"

"Thanks, Garcia." he said with a smile, snapping his phone shut.

* * *

Mike LaBoerelle sat at the interview table with Morgan across from him. His eyes remained shifty, and he couldn't keep his hands still. He was balding, already, even at 22, and had black stubble across his face.

"Listen, I got paid to do this, I ain't do this lady any harm."

"There's a sexual assault charge against you by her from high school."

"Psh, that was ages ago. And my lawyer said those charges were dropped, so it don't matter."

"It does matter, actually." Morgan said slowly. "Let me ask you something, did this man hire you to rape her, or did he seek you out after you already did it?"

"I didn't rape nobody!" the man said.

"Answer the question, was it before or after the alleged assault?"

"After." the man admitted. "He came to me after I did it, saying he was proud of me, that only real men had the courage to take what they wanted. I said I didn't do nothing, but he didn't believe me. He said he'd be in touch with me someday. That he'd need my help." the man shrugged. "6 months ago, he called me. Paid me good, too."

"What did he have you do?" he said.

"Look, I don't think it's a good idea if I say anything without a lawyer."

"We can get you a deal if you help us. We need to know where this guy is."

"Why, whadd he do?" Mike asked. "I thought he was just following this chick, whatever her name is. Said he wanted to help her, to show her the light."

"How much did he pay you to harass her? The rocks through the windows, the house being burnt down. You installed cameras in her home, or paid someone to do it."

"You can really help me out if I tell you this stuff?" he leaned forward, sniffing loudly.

"We can get you a deal." Morgan said begrudgingly. "Now tell me what you know. I need a name, address, contact information, description. Anything you know, we need to know too."

* * *

Spencer and Zoe packed up at the hotel and headed for the SUV. Once they were safely in the car, Reid's phone rang.

"We're on our way to the ubsub's current location, a farmhouse he rented outside the city. LaBoerelle gave us a name, Dale Thomas, ask her if it sounds familiar."

"Dale Thomas ring any bells, Zoe?" he said. She thought for a moment, and then shook her head, her ponytail swinging. "No, she doesn't know him."

"Alright. I'll let you know what happens. Bring Zoe back to the BAU. Get her statement, she might have to stand trial in court if we find this guy. I'll let you know."

"Okay, good luck."

"Is Dale Thomas the man who did this?" she asked after he hung up.

"Looks to be that way."

"And they found him?" she asked.

"They've got an address, but they haven't physically arrested him, no."

She swallowed, tucking her legs underneath her and propping her arm on the windowsill.

"It'll be okay soon, though, don't worry."

"Yeah, I hope so." she said. "Hey, can we maybe stop at my house, actually? I know it's kind of a big favor, but look, if there's anything to salvage I want to see what I'm up against."

His brow furrowed, and then relaxed. "I don't think it'll be an issue. I'm hoping the damage isn't too bad."

"Trust me, so am I."

He detoured, taking a turn to get towards her house. He glanced in the mirror behind him, seeing if the car that was following him a moment before would make the turn. Nope.

He was familiar with the streets now - his memory helped but so did the experience of navigating them a few times.

Her house was taped off, although nobody was around. He pulled into the driveway, and she jumped out, him close behind. She quickly walked up the steps, ducking under the tape, and through the charred door frame. The front of the house seemed to have gotten the worst of it - there were no walls left, just blackened pieces of furniture. As they crunched through the rubble, Reid didn't hear the near silent footsteps approaching him from behind.

The cold barrel of the gun touched his neck, and Reid froze.

* * *

"Zoe-" he began, adrenaline rushing through his veins and his hand instinctively reaching for his sidearm.

"No, no, no Agent Reid." the voice said from behind him. A hand grabbed his gun and tossed it away. Zoe spun around, and nearly fell over.

"Spencer," she whispered.

"Run, right now, just run."

"If you run, Zoe, honey, I'll blow this guy's head right off. And you seem pretty attached to him, don't you?" Dale said.

She couldn't move. She looked at the man's face - old, wrinkled, with dark cold eyes and a sneer.

"Zoe, it's okay, just go." Spencer said slowly.

"No. He's not taking anything else from me." she said quietly. Spencer closed his eyes. He knew if he tried to disarm him the gun would fire, and that he didn't want to risk his life, or, more importantly, Zoe's.

"Let him go." she said. Her voice shook as she spoke, but her fists were clenched and her eyes screamed with anger.

"I need you before I can let him go." Dale said.

"Well, you have me. I'm right here. Let him go, point it at me, not him."

Dale pushed Spencer aside, and pointed the gun at her face. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Make any sudden move, Agent, and I'll kill her." he said. "But you probably already figured that out, huh?"

"Look at me Zoe," Spencer said calmly. "Remember what I said a minute ago, in the car?"

"Shut up," Dale said, irritated. She closed her eyes and nodded. "Come here, Zoe." Dale ordered, walking towards her. He pressed the barrel against her temple, and spun her around, so he was behind her. "We're going to take a little field trip, and you can see what I was going to do to your mommy all those years ago."

She stayed silent, tears in her eyes. Reid was shaking, at a loss of what to do.

"Before that moron LaBoerelle got caught, I was planning on taking the both of you, so your new boyfriend could see everything I'm going to do to you. However, I'm not stupid, and I know that I would probably be overpowered, so instead, I'll make you a nice little video, alright, Agent? Play it for your grandkids someday."

He turned around, backing out of the house. Spencer didn't move, his eyes remained locked on Zoe.

_Remember what I said _Zoe's ears rang with the words. _It'll be okay soon. _

They reached the car across the street, and with a sudden movement, Dale smashed Zoe in the back of the head with the barrel of the gun, and she slumped onto the pavement.

"No!" Spencer shouted, beginning to run towards her.

"Not another step, Agent!" Dale screamed, pointing the gun back down at Zoe. "She'll be dead in seconds and I'll still have her body to have fun with. So don't move."

Spencer stopped, reaching again for his sidearm, but then remembering. Dale opened the car door and lifted Zoe into the backseat, pushing her head in first. A moment later, he stepped into the drivers seat, saluted Spencer, and tore away.

Reid never moved faster in his life. He ran to the SUV and jumped in, backing out, but instead of following the car, he went in the opposite direction.

He mentally noted the interlocked grid of the suburban development, mapping out Dale's escape route. He needed to hit him on the driver's side, hard enough to render him immobile but soft enough so no permanent damage would befall Zoe. He calculated about 30 miles an hour, since Zoe wasn't buckled.

Left, right, left, left, again, and he was ahead of Dale. He waited for a second, his brain working out every speed and possible outcome, and then sped towards the intersection.

_BAM_

Right on target, the SUV hit the small car with sudden force, launching it across the intersection. He saw Dale's face, and knew he had surprised him.

He leaned over, grabbing the gun from the glove compartment, and jumped out. Dale had left the window rolled down, so Spencer could see him clearly. Slumped over the steering wheel, the man laid unconscious. Reid grabbed his gun and tossed it behind him, and then quickly reached for his handcuffs, and attached one of Dale's wrist to the door.

Then, he reached for the back door. Zoe also lay unconscious, but he could see her chest moving up and down with breath. Her forehead was bleeding. He reached over her body and grabbed her under her arms, and lifted her out of the car, laying her down on the side walk. He checked her pulse, and then pulled out his phone.

"Garcia?" he said helplessly. "Can you please send some squad cars and an ambulance to my current location, my hands are shaking too much to dial anyone else."

He set the phone on the ground, pressing speaker, and tried to assess what injuries she had. A moment later, Garcia's voice spoke up.

"They're on their way. Oh, babyboy, what happened?"

"I just...I got him now." he paused. "And it's over."

* * *

**A/N: Conclusion very very soon, everyone! Sorry for the long chapter, but I hope you enjoyed it. The next series title will be announced in the upcoming chapter, following Reid and Zoe's relationship, which I assure you, will be just GRAND:) Review, please, and I should have the next chapter up tomorrow. Thanks again for reading!**


	11. Chapter 11 - Conclusion

_2 days later_

Zoe was released from the hospital after a couple night of observation due to two separate head injuries. One the first night she was there, her insurance agent called back. Along with the money from the house, her mother's life insurance was finally available, and in total, she'd be getting just under half a million dollars.

She cried.

The morning after that, Spencer had sent over the list of apartments. Attached was a small note.

_Thought these might help you. Garcia 'heard' about your good news. I'll see you soon - call if you need anything. _

She cried again.

He wanted to visit, but instead of finding Dale at the farmhouse, the team instead discovered 4 more bodies. There was work to be done.

After she was released, she booked a hotel room for a week, so she could have time to get an apartment, get her car from the shop, settle back into normalcy.

But she had something else to do, too.

She returned to the BAU, dismayed to find a different receptionist blocking her way to the offices.

"Hi, I need to speak with someone from the BAU." she said, trying her best smile. The receptionist wasn't taken.

"I'm sorry, do you have an appointment, they're _very _busy." she said with emphasis.

"I was just involved with a case, I swear, it'll take like five minutes, please."

"Sorry, ma'am. You need to leave, or I'll be notifying security."

"Ergh!" she said out of frustration. "Spencer Reid, I just have to talk to him, please!" she begged.

"Honey, we have to stop meeting like this." a familiar voice said from behind her. Again, Penelope Garcia looked at her with a smile, a huge coffee in her hand.

"Hi," Zoe sighed. "I am glad to see you."

"Don't worry about Security, Macy, she's with me." Penelope said to the receptionist. "Allow me to escort you to my friend Spencer. He practically wouldn't stop hounding me while you were in the hospital, Garcia, find her files, make sure she's doing okay, Garcia this, Garcia that." She offered her arm to Zoe, who slipped hers through. "It's the most demanding he's ever been. Trust me, the rest of the team is much worse. Speaking of worse, Morgan, where's Boy Genius?"

Derek glanced up from his desk, and smiled at the sight of Zoe. "Look at you, standing tall, last time I saw you you were hardly conscious in the back of an ambulance, with a certain doctor barking orders at every EMT in sight. Feeling better?"

"Much." she said, grinning back.

"He's in the conference room, going over some paperwork with JJ. Turns out that SUV maneuver wasn't in the handbook." Morgan said to Garcia.

"Right-o. And this way we go, my exotic wonderwoman." Penelope said, and Zoe laughed.

"Is there a nickname for everyone?" she asked.

"Oh, yes, that's my job here. Nicknames and moral support." Garcia replied sarcastically, with a wink. She tapped on the door, and opened it.

"Package for Doctor Spencer Reid." she sang. Both JJ and Reid looked up, and Reid smiled brightly. "Catch ya later, Zoe." Garcia said, bumping her with her hip before walking off.

"Hi, I'm sorry to bother you-" she began, but Spencer was on his feet.

"No, it's fine. What's up?" he said, rocking back and fourth on his toes.

"I was actually wondering if I could talk to you about something."

"I'll give you guys the room." JJ said, standing. "I'm glad to see you're alright, Zoe."

"Thanks." Both her and Spencer responded.

"It's nice to see you again." she said.

"Yeah, yeah...really nice." he said.

"I just, um, wanted to thank you. For everything. Really. I couldn't have done it without you, and you just..." she looked up at him, biting her lip. "you were great. More than I could have ever hoped for."

He shrugged. "It's not really a big deal."

"No, it's a huge deal."

He ran his hands through his hair, squinting. He nodded.

"Look," she looked down. "I think it's kind of time for me to get my life back together."

"No, yeah, of course, I totally understand." he said. "I just want you to be happy."

"But I sort of realized something, when I was in the hospital." she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and swallowed. Spencer could see she was nervous. "About my life, I mean."

"Yeah?" he asked.

"I...uh, I'd..." she let out a big gust of air "I want you to be in it. If that's okay." she finally admitted.

Dumbstruck, Spencer stared at her, his mouth slightly open. She put her hand on her forehead.

"See, yeah, that's what I was thinking, like, I know it's really fast and really soon and gosh I just know that like sometimes I get weird and I sound like I'm a little bit crazy but-"

Her quick succession of words was cut off suddenly, when Spencer grabbed her waist and kissed her. A moment later, they pulled apart. She cleared her throat, smiling shyly up through her lashes.

"Was that a yes?" she whispered.

"That was an absolutely." he replied.

* * *

**A/N: *claps hands* oh I am just SO excited! And there's much more to come, my next series I'll be releasing will be called "Only You", and it should be up in the next few days! I really hope you guys liked it, please let me know if you enjoyed the end. Muchos Gracias for your support and encouraging words. See you soon! PS - Fanart link SOON! It will be up on my profile super QUICK and i'll link it AS WELL in the next series.**

**(Part Two Available now! s/9639175/1/Only-You)**


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